STURGIS - Gillette's Derek Thrall will always remember Tuesday night's wrestling dual at Sturgis.

He defeated Chris Vinson

9-2 in the heavyweight match to give the Camels a 31-29 triumph over the top-ranked Class A South Dakota team.

"I wanted to come out there and get Gillette ahead on the scoreboard," Thrall said. "It couldn't have come out better."

He said he also wanted to come here his senior year and help win this dual.

The final match began with Gillette trailing 29-28. Thrall led 3-1 midway through the third period before scoring two takedowns and a two-point near fall.

Vinson's size presented a challenge, according to Thrall.

"He's a lot bigger than me and I had to be careful about wrestling up top with him."

Thrall said his stamina was the difference durig his six-point run.

"I felt like he (Vinson) was wearing down," he said. "I knew I couldn't keep a big man down like that on the mat. I knew I could get my low levels going by then."

Brady Burgess earned a forfeit win at 171 pounds to give Gillette a 28-17 advantage. Sturgis' Clint Wilson (189) pinned Chris Schultz at 2:56 making the score 28-23.

The 215-pound match featured Scooper Jacob Stygles, who built a 9-0 lead over James Boylan before earning the pin with only one second remaining.

At 103, Tanner Bothwell recorded Sturgis' other pin, and Tanner Olson (112) also contributed a pin to the Gillette effort.

Gillette head coach Tom Seamans said both teams had outstanding efforts and no athlete on either side could be faulted.

Thrall normally competes at 215 pounds for Gillette. Seamans weighed two athletes at 215 and told Thrall he would wrestle heavyweight if it came down to one match to win the dual.

Gillette will compete at the Cowboy Open in Miles City, Mont., this weekend.

Sturgis head coach Steve Keszler agreed Wilson and Stygles contributed big wins to put the home team in position to capture the dual. He said all athletes turned in a valiant effort.

Sturgis, which originally forfeited at 215, moved Wilson and Stygles from 171 and 189, respectively. He told his athletes the dual would come down to a lot of heart and determination.

"We've just been fortunate to have some great duals over the years with them," Keszler said. "I think it's great for the two programs and fans alike."